Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has heaped praise on Virat Kohli following his impressive performance in the first ODI against New Zealand. Kohli scored 74 runs off 51 balls, helping India during a challenging batting situation.
Shastri described Kohli as the greatest cricketer of all time in limited-overs cricket, highlighting his ability to score consistently even under difficult conditions.
The pitch offered considerable assistance to fast bowlers, making batting challenging for several Indian players. However, Kohli handled the New Zealand pacers confidently and scored runs with relative ease.
Impressed by his performance, Shastri called the knock one of Kohli’s best innings in the last seven to 10 years.
‘One of Kohli’s Best Innings in the Last 7-10 Years’
Speaking to Sony Sports, Shastri said he had rarely seen Kohli bat so brilliantly under such challenging conditions.
He pointed out that maintaining confidence and avoiding mistakes on a pitch offering assistance to fast bowlers was not easy. According to Shastri, Kohli’s batting was on a different level compared with the other players. Also highlighted Kohli’s impressive statistics, including his runs, scoring speed, centuries and contributions to successful run chases. Shastri said these achievements established Kohli as an exceptional and technically accomplished batter.
Shastri Backs Kohli’s Test Cricket Future
Kohli’s ability to continue playing Test cricket, pointing to his exceptional fitness levels. Several international cricketers and top players would like to see Kohli continue representing India in the longest format of the game.
According to the former India coach, Kohli still has the fitness and ability to perform at the highest level in Test cricket, Shastri said.